Last week I published a set of screenshots containing directions for creating placemarks, polygons, and layers on Google Maps Engine Lite. Since that post was published I have received a few requests for a screencast of the process. The screencast video below provides an overview of the process of creating placemarks, layers, and polygons on Google Maps Engine Lite.
Here are a few good uses of maps with multiple layers.
- Multiple layers could be used for showing data differences on a year over year or month over month basis.
- You could display the same data with different base layers for comparison.
- Students working collaboratively on a map can be responsible for editing their own layers on the same map.
- If you’re using Google Maps Engine Lite to have students create literature trips (look here for inspiration), they can create a different layer for each chapter of a book.
- Students mapping the history of an event like the U.S. Civil War could create a different layer for each year of the war.
Google Maps Engine Lite supports importing and mapping data via spreadsheets. This was previously possible if you used a Google Spreadsheet Gadget like Map-A-List, but the native support in Google Maps Engine Lite makes this easier than ever. As long as your spreadsheet meets the following minimum standards, you will be able to have the data mapped for you.
- Your spreadsheet should have three columns.
- Names of places.
- Location (City and State or postal code or latitude and longitude coordinates).
- Description (information you want displayed within the placemark).
